In the Middle of the Night
by The Person Who Rights
Summary: [AU, SK] Sora lies trapped in the darkness after releasing Kairi's heart. In the darkness all he has is himself, and even that is slipping from his fingers. UPDATED!
1. Falling

In the Middle of the Night

Prologue: Falling

---

Lifting that keyblade seemed to be the most right thing he had ever done in his life, the thing in which he had no doubts, no uncertainty and no regrets. The handle was cold, a contrast to his own keyblade, but he welcomed the numbing feeling on his hand. The battle had been intense, and the lack of feeling that spread up his arm and though his body was gladly embraced. _Kairi..._

He examined the black keyblade, feeling only its pulse. The blade, though heavy, felt light in his hands. He nodded to himself, seeing Kairi's smile in his mind, knew he would be able to do this. _Maybe in death I can rest... _

He wondered, for just a moment, what the world would be like without him. Would Kairi's smile be just as bright? Would Riku regain his heart? Would his friends find their king? Would the worlds be saved? But all those thoughts paled in comparison to what he needed to do. This was his destiny. His ending_. Funny, when I was little I always wanted a _happy_ ending.... _He turned toward his friends, and gave them a sad, tired, but reassuring grin. _This is it Sora. There is no turning back.... but I'm happy, ending it like this._ Without another thought, he positioned the dark black to his heart. _Kairi, I love you more then anything, and I'm sorry._

He closed his eyes. The blade pierced his skin, and for a mere moment he felt the pain of every shadow that had ever ripped at his skin. But the pain dulled, and all feeling almost completely disappeared. The last bit of warmth left him when the core of his heart left him, and floated to where it belonged.

And he was aware of nothing at that moment.

...Not of his friends startled expressions.

...Not of her precious eyes opening.

...Not of her running after him.

...Not of his name being shouted.

...Not of his body breaking into small bits of light, and slowly fading

...Not even of them calling him back.

_What's happening to me? _

_Falling.... _

_...Falling..._

_...Into Darkness..._

---

He floated in the darkness, struggling to stop the depths of black from completely smashing him. He wasn't ready... to give it all up. He refused to become one of the very things that destroyed his life. It wasn't fair! He didn't want to hurt anyone! _Kairi..._ He floated, forgetting the darkness's grip as he thought of Kairi

_I never got to tell you that I love you, Kairi. _

_I can remember the first day I saw you. I watched you wash up on the shore. Running over, I felt your slowing heart beating. "Riku! Riku! There's a girl on our island! And she's not breathing much!!" Was that really my voice? I was so young back then. As I held the hand of the young crimson-haired goddess, I felt a new emotion. I feel in love at only 5-years-old._

But as he savored the sweet memory, a chill passed though him. What happened after that? What had he just been remembering?

The darkness never answered his silent questions. It never mocked him, but it never comforted him either. It wasn't fair, that memory had been precious, and the emptiness surrounding had stolen it, like a fire to an old photograph. It was something that couldn't be replaced, though one may try. He was giving up the struggle now. _Riku would tell me to keep me to keep fighting, just like that day so long ago._

_The fever had been playing with my mind. I was cold and yet sweating. The doctor was talking to my mother, but yet I couldn't understand any word that came from his mouth. It wasn't that he was speaking another language; it was just that I couldn't focus. Kairi was holding my hand, but I could barely feel it. Another chill went through me. I didn't hear the door open, or the hurried footsteps, or the older boy's words. I wanted to sleep. I wanted it all to stop. Why wouldn't the pain go away? I would let the fever take me, and maybe then I'd get some rest... But something woke me from my daze. A throbbing pain. I lifted my hand to my cheek, and stared at Riku's angered expression. "C'mon Sora! You're such a baby! If you don't shape up and fight this damned fever, I'll kill you before the fever even has a chance. So fight it!" He shouted at me, and I was scared of the nine-year-old boy for the first time in my life. He got in a lot of trouble afterwards, but what he did saved me. I recovered a week later, but Riku was grounded for--_

_No! How long was he grounded? Why was he grounded? No! Don't take them away!_

His mind was racing, but he couldn't remember anything that had happened to him at all now. All he could remember were the faces of his friends, but their faces were slowly fading as if all they had been were dreams.

_Kairi..._ He could hear her soft laughter, but it was a distant, almost inaudible sound. He could barely remember the color of her eyes. There was something special about that girl, but his heart was numb, and the echo of her laughter faded. All he had left of her was a hole in his empty heart. Riku then grazed his mind, but all he could even remember of his exfriend was a menacing smile, and a black keyblade attempting to destroy him. But even these images faded into nothing. And now, all he could remember was himself and the darkness.

_I'm Sora, the keybearer. _

_No.... Not the true keybearer.... I'm nothing more then a delivery boy. I'm not even that anymore. I'm nothing now. Nothing. _

The darkness was intense. It spinned around him, covering him. He's lost it all, and didn't even remember losing it anymore.

_I was never anything. I'm nothing but an extension of darkness. That's all..._

Sora had completely lost himself. The Darkness no longer pushed on him. He was the darkness. The Darkness was him. He had nothing. No mind, no body, nothing but darkness in his lost heart. And though the shadow of Sora --the cheerful boy who had been thrown into a journey never meant for him-- had nothing, he had made marks on many hearts, and this was a fact that the darkness couldn't erase.

And so he would wait. Wait for what? He didn't know. He could always wait. He could only wait. And he had an eternity to wait.

A/N:

Do you like it? If you do, please for the love of god review! I may or may not continue this, but I won't unless I know that someone will be reading. In case you're wondering, in this fic, Kairi didn't save Sora. There is a reason, too! coughI'llhavetofigureoutthatreasonlatercough…


	2. Keybearer

In the Middle of the Night

Chapter 1: The Keybearer

Riku sat in the corner of the alley, the tavern he rested his back against was abandoned long ago. A strange smell drifted in and out of his nose. It was an odd mix of sulfur and alcohol. There was dim light behind him coming from the green windows of an underground tavern. Ripped clothing covered him. He was lit by the silvery moon, making him stand out amongst the broken glass, the dark lifelessness. One may have looked at him and seen a broken winged angel.

He stared at his hand as he flexed it, as if it was new to him. In a way it was new. The same way something you salvage from rotting in an attic for another forty years is new. He couldn't move at all, it seemed. He was tired beyond words, and he knew if he could find the strength to open his mouth, he may not even recognize his own voice--that was, of course, If he could speak at all.

For just a minute, he thought of yellow piercing eyes glaring out from the deepest darkness. Those eyes that completely lacked emotion. Completely lacked mercy or compassion. Shadows with wide eyes full of hunger, and something so empty. All they seemed to understand was hunger. Hunger and Darkness.

But Riku wanted to question it so much. Part of him wanted to believe there was more to it then just those few things. The heartless ruined so many lives and controlled their own puppet masters, there had to be more. And his lack of understanding of something he thought he could control tortured him almost as much as his own guilt.

…_Sora..._

Riku was ripped from his thoughts of the ones lost to the world when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head with greater speed then he thought he was capable of. And apparently, the man hadn't expected him to either.

"Whoa! Are you... ok?" said the man with some surprise, as if he were expecting the silver-haired boy to be dead, and also, there seemed to be just the slightest evidence of hostility present there. Riku went to brush the man's hand off his shoulder, not wanting to lose all of his dignity. But then the pain surged though his arm. He stiffened and let out an expected whimper, which surprised himself.

The next thing he knew he was being carried, the man trying to keep a barrage of colorful words from escaping gritted teeth. The silver-haired boy didn't struggle, but instead looked around at the area he had fallen into. He saw a door that he had not seen before

in the deep shadows. And a blanket of guilt covered him as the man carried him into the 3rd District.

* * *

Kairi sat on a chair in the Small House, letting a sob out. Donald and Goofy tried to comfort her. Their warm hands on her exposed shoulders made her feel a little better, but she could barely fight the urge to scream.

_Sora…_

_Riku…_

_Both of you are gone now, Both of you—two friends I love-- Are in the darkness now. It's because of me you're gone. What do I have left now? I feel so lost..._

"Kairi… I'm sure there is some way to get Sora back… I mean there has to be." Muttered Leon. Kairi looked up at him, tears still streaming non-stop down her cheek.

"Do… You think that we'll be able to? Do you really think we can?" she said, voice wavering. All she got in reply was a nod, followed by the silence of the four.

Yuffie and Aerith had gone into town to look for a doctor that could help the Princess's broken leg. They had also gone to find Cid, who still hadn't returned from his damage control. Leon was a nervous wreck. He had to deal with other worlds' survivors-- survivors who had lost someone, some who had seen more then the human heart could bare without breaking—all the time, but he had never learned how to comfort the people. He hadn't gotten used to it yet. And that on top of the fact that the _keybearer _was the one who was gone. Everyone's ray of light was gone, off with the darkness.

_I remember when I first saw that kid. He was wandering, and seemed to be a lost little kid, but I knew he was the keybearer. Something in my heart knew it. As I watched him fight the heartless, I knew that he had at least an idea on how to fight, but he wasn't anywhere near skilled. He went into the Accessory Shop that Cid was minding, and when he came out, I took that as my chance to finally meet the person I'd been waiting for for… how long? 9 years?_

_"They'll come at you out of nowhere." I began, and he turned to stare at me. He didn't look like anymore then a normal kid, a little dopey kid with knobby knees and eyes far too innocent to have seen true battle. Was this the kind of person the keyblade would really be meant for?  
_

_"Who are you?" he asked, in such a kid-ish way. _

"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade," I continued, ignoring his question. Then I let my thoughts of the spiky-headed keybearer out. "But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked angrily, with that kidish voice. I just couldn't stand the fact that someone like this could actually wield any weapon, let alone a keyblade.

"Never mind. Now, let me see that Keyblade." I said. He got into fighting position.

_"What? There's no way you're getting this!" Why did he have to make this hard on himself? _

"All right, then have it your way."

_Then the battle began. I chased after Sora, who tried to hit me, but failed a number of times. He used potions on himself, but then disappeared. I went looking for him… And then he jumped off of a nearby roof, and stuck me down. _

_"Now you're gonna… You're gonna…" he never finished that statement; he fainted. And looking at the unconscious boy, I was surprised that the runt had beaten me, but it took this much out of him to do it?_

_"Aw, you're slipping, Leon." Said Yuffie from behind._

_"I went easy on him. Looks like things are worse than we thought…" I replied. "A lot worse."_

_Who knew he'd grow to be this powerful? And who knew his end… would be this? And now that the innocent boy who was destined to save the world is gone, who will be the keybearer?_

Leon's thoughts were interrupted as Cid burst in the door, carrying a badly wounded figure. At first Leon thought it was an old man, but aqua eyes that burned with the hottest fires of hell stared back at him. His first thought was of that traitor Sephiroth, but this boy was barely older then Sora. Kairi gasped, Donald and Goofy clutched their weapons, and Leon just stared.

"Riku!"

* * *

A/N: Well, that's chapter one. I'm gonna try to keep those to around 1000 words a piece. This was a fun chapter to write, though it isn't how I planned it to be. I guess this answers me questions. I'm continuing.

I do have a few small things I'd like to point out. First of all, a little thing that may or may not be considered a fact: Leon learning of the keyblade 9 years ago. Now, I just want to point out the facts that lead me to this conclusion: The manga, the Ansem reports, and common sense. In the manga, it says that Leon was visited by Mickey Mouse when the HB gang was little. There are in game refs to this too, but let's not get into that, lest you all see how obsessed I am.

I also didn't like how this chapter was so… fillerific. But basically, the points I needed to cover were "Riku deadish, Cid find. Cid bring Riku to House-place.

Review Replies:

I'll get to these next chapter, ok?


	3. Coffee

A/N: Surprise! Doing a little back tracking her, but… really, I started writing before for realizing how I ended last chapter. It's been one and a half years; give me a bit of a break! (And yes, the dialogue is different, because I can't find any transcripts right now, so I'm using the excuse that it's AU)

In the Middle of the Night

Chapter 2: Coffee

She would have done anything to have some coffee. It was her secret addiction, and after all this, she needed that rush of caffeine more then anything. Sora still remained a sore spot in her heart, and now here was Riku all bruised and pale and unconscious. Sitting in the small house that Leon and company had somehow acquired, holding Riku's hand, she reflected on the previous day's—or maybe it was longer—events at Hallow Bastion.

She was running for her life here, and the worst possible events in her life were happing, and her thoughts were confused and disorderly, but yet… Kairi didn't want to leave the castle. It was strange, but she just wanted to stay.

_Waking up from her comfy bed, the little girl looked around her room. She always loved the smell of coffee that danced around her room, and it always helped her open her eyes peacefully. Warm comfy sheets kept her safe throughout the night, away from any monsters that lived in other kid's closets. Kairi always had a great night's sleep. She didn't even know what a nightmare was. _

Just remembering how nice her old bed was really didn't make her feel much better about the situation at hand. Hell, she wanted to pinch herself, to make sure she wasn't still asleep back on the islands. It wouldn't have explained how tired she was. Oh, God she was tired. Her body ached from weeks of no movement spent on hard floors.

Everything did seem rather dizzy though. Here she was somewhere she'd never been before, just suddenly here after a storm back home, and somehow, she knew things she couldn't explain, like the two creatures with her were named Donald and Goofy. And she had Sora to thank for even being alive.

_Fading away…Sora was fading away just as I stood for the first time in god knows when…_

Oh god, she was trying so hard not to remember that! She didn't want this to be real! It was just a dream!

_For a moment, nothing made any sense. What was going on? Why? Why was this happening?_

She blinked back a few tears, just trying to clear her head of the idea that Sora was gone. How was that even possible? He was Sora, happiest kid in the world and the nicest. Maybe he wasn't ever really brave or strong, but that didn't matter! He was her best friend! Why? Why?

_I shook away all doubts and confusion, and ran over to him. Maybe if I was faster he would have caught him! Maybe he wouldn't be gone! But instead, I never got a change to even _touch_ him or _hold_ him. He just disappeared, and faded away to wherever it is Keybearers go when… No… I couldn't stand this... I couldn't understand it! He couldn't be gone!_

Kairi tried to find something else to think about, just to get rid of the aching hole in her heart. She tried thinking of something, anything else. And each thought was just more morbid then the last, sadly. Riku, Sora, The destruction of their home, the other princesses—

They were still there… and the heartless were coming! Even now, she could feel an immense swelling of something awful, and awfully familiar.

"We can't just leave them behind!" she cried. It wasn't completely out of fear for their well-being, but also the fact that she couldn't stand losing anyone else, even if she didn't know those women.

"We need to kept moving!" snapped Donald, whose frustration had nothing to do with a simple request. He couldn't stand to remain in this dead shell of a world anymore. He lost Sora, his best friend he pretty much used, and had been willing to leave behind once he lost his importance… but now that the boy with that huge grin and blue eyes was gone… Donald felt nothing but sorrow. "They'll be just fine!"

"We can't stop now. The heartless are going to take this castle." Goofy stated, as calmly as possible, voice dripping with sorrow. Though he was a knight, a warrior by definition, he had never really seen true battle until today. His voice lacked the happiness he usually had. It was a struggle, just to keep from breaking down, but if he did… then Kairi would, and Donald, and then they'd probably just draw in the heartless.

Kairi traced the hallway of the lobby area with her eyes, looking from something to give her a hint, a clue, or something to tell her everything would end up being OK. But she couldn't find anything. Things just got more desperate as she spied a shadow staring at her, right into her soul.

_One morning, little Kairi woke up, to the scent of coffee once again. It was just like every morning. But this morning, she just didn't feel as comfortable as usual. Her pillows were fluffy, and the sheets were very warm, and all her pretty dolls were still there to smile at her, but there was an awkward silence that hung over the house._

"S-Sora?" she asked, searching, hoping that somehow this little shadow could help her reach him. "Is that you?"

_Things seemed unusually chilly in her room. And so Kairi opened up her window, hoping that the warmth of summer would spill into the house._

"Kairi…" one of her companions questioned.

_Something was wrong. As she opened the window, wind gusted right into her face. She felt like ice, as it betrayed her hopes._

The golden eyes of the heartless glowed like every other. It moved like every other heartless. It was just another heartless, just like the ten or so that crept up from the ground surrounding her, begging her to come back down with them.

"Sora? Please, Sora!"

_Little Kairi called for her Mommy and Daddy and Gram-Gram, but no one came. Why was it so cold out? And why was the sky outside so dark? All she could see was the castle. She called for them again._

No Reply.

_She crept closer to the door of her room, still calling out for them. Why? Why weren't they listening? Maybe they just weren't up yet?_

She approached the dark creature she desperately prayed was Sora. Slowly, steadily at first, and then, as the other shadows around closed in, and Donald and Goofy shouted for her, she broke into a dash, and the Shadows began to pounce.

_Little Kairi ran for the door, though she never was very fast, the door flew open as she called out. Urgency filled the tyke; she could feel some kind of unseen danger. But the sight in front of her stopped her dead in her tracks. The kitchen was empty of life, but the evidence was there. The stove was still on and scrambled eggs were burning up. It was a nauseating smell, mixed strongly with the other unmistakable scent. It was strong, because on the floor was a smashed Coffee pot, and the brown liquid covered the floor. Daddy never had a morning were he didn't drink coffee. Why was it smashed? Why?_

The shadow known to her as Sora faded from view, as she was ambushed by the other heartless.

Kairi owed her life to Donald and Goofy, and she decided someday she would find a way to thank them. But now, she was concerned with Riku. Her poor best friend lay there, and having no medical expertise at all, she didn't know whether he was getting better, or much worse.

_I saw a girl. She was talking to me? Why was she saying that? _

_Nothing makes any sense in the realm of light. Maybe it never did._

AN: Well, if that's not a filler, I don't know what is. But I like it. Kairi's POV on Sora Heartless, and other stuff. I don't know where the coffee thing came from, but Kairi is probably really OOC here, because she didn't make me mad. I figure this was important, and there was going to be more of other stuff and less of this, but then I found a fully written and coherent Chapter 2, which fits best after this as Chapter 3. Wow. I have officially updated In the Middle of the Night.


	4. Tales of Darkness

AN: Holy Crap on rye. I just FOUND this. I already had a chapter written for Chapter 2, but I never uploaded it. WTF? This is Chapter 3 now, because I just spent the last couple of hours trying to write Chapter 2. So, you guys get a double update with just a mounting amount of stuff. I remember this chapter, but I don't know why I never uploaded it. I don't care why now. This gives me a better idea on what to do.

In the Middle of the Night

Chapter 3: Tales of Darkness

The princesses sat around the Castle Chapel, continuing to use their powers to ward off some of the evil. Silence filled the dark room. Night had fallen on Hollow Bastion, and the only illumination was the green light of Maleficent's mystic candles.

Alice glanced around the room; the tension was unbearable. They all knew the circumstances of their revival, and they knew that everything was changed. The thought of Sora _stabbing himself,_ no matter what the circumstances were, just seemed so_ surreal. _Homeland forgotten,Alice could only remember a world full of bizarre things, but this toped anything Wonderland had in store.

_Sora…Why?_

That was all she could ask herself, the thought of the handsome boy that risked his neck to save her—and in the end did—brought tears to her eyes, and she was glad that in the green glow of the room, no one could see her blushing. It was true that he hadn't destroyed his own heart for _her _but she wanted so badly to believe that he did. It was just a fantasy, the fantasy of a little girl, but she knew better then anyone that fantasy could be real. And this fantasy was to marry someone like Sora. _Silly._

Jasmine saw the tears in the youngest princess's eyes, and slid closer to her, putting a comforting hand on Alice's shoulder. Blue eyes wet with tears looked into brown eyes that had finally decided that they cried too many. "I miss someone very close to me, too, so I know how you feel, and it's all right to cry. No one can tell you differently," she said, and then gave a small smile. "But I believe with all my heart that we'll get out of this. And do you know what will happen when we do?

"What?" Alice asked, the tears glimmering in the unreal light of the Dark Witch's flames. Jasmine handed her a tissue, her smile growing a little bigger.

"Our loved ones will welcome us home with open arms, and we'll all be together. And we can forget all this if we want. And we'll dance with our friends and fall in love. And we'll always have our friends' light. And someday, we'll meet again." Alice giggled slightly, cherishing the thoughts of a home she couldn't quite remember, with friends who didn't have faces or names. But the thought was so beautiful, she couldn't help her joy.

"Do you really think so," begged a soft voice from in the other corner of the room. A girl with short black locks covering glistening coal-like eyes had spoke up for the first time in a while. She had seemed to had been deep in thought after they awoke. The slight bit of hopeless that once covered her heart was disappearing.

"We're the princesses, silly. Why, if they had to kidnap us to make their plan to destroy everything work, then I say we have to power to restore the worlds too!" Alice explained, the certainness in her voice overwhelming.

"Thanks." Said the girl with fair, snowy skin, with a newfound belief that they would be escaping. She walked to the two other princesses, and sat by them.

An hour later, Alice was sleeping, and Snow White was watching as Jasmine combed Alice's golden hair with her hand. "You're really good with her. Do you have any brother's or sisters?"

"No. But I've always loved little kids, and I've always really wanted a little sister." Jasmine replied.

"I've always wanted a sister too." Snow White mused, smiling at the youngest princess's sleeping form.

"….My… Sisters…." Alice mumbled in her sleep. The older girls looked at each other. Somewhere, in another time, maybe we were sisters. And so the girls tried to drift into sleep, to dream of friends, close, far and forgotten, all together, all in the light. It was thoughts like these that would save them, and that was their exact conviction.

The Small house was next to silent. Aerith and Yuffie had returned, and after re-bandaging Kairi's leg, Aerith dressed Riku's wounds. The hostility in the air was frightening. Yuffie's deep brown eyes watched with both hate and pity. She leaned against the wall, a hand resting above her throw stars. _How can we trust Riku? I mean, Sora never really said anything bad about him, but still, how can I trust someone who'd betray their best friends for power? And wasn't he possessed by Ansem? What if Ansem is still in there? I refuse to trust this guy, whether Sora would have wanted it or not._

But as she thought this, she watched the boy wince. She knew how many times she had wished she could just leave her wounds untreated, rather then go through the pain of treatment. _Squall called me a sissy…_

But watching the boy, she noticed his flinches came even when Aerith wasn't dabbing on the medication.

"Is he having a nightmare?" she whispered to herself, braking the silence.

Alice, Snow White, and Jasmine were all deep in slumber. In the other corner of the room, two figures speak almost silently.

"The darkness is shifting, changing. Do you feel it?"

"I'm afraid I do. With Sora's heart taken, the darkness should have grown much, much more powerful then this though…"

"Not necessarily. The Keyblade may have something to do with this. There seems to be a different keybearer out there now…"

"But his heart is dark as well. This is all very troubling—"

"Did you feel _that_?"

The two Princesses of Heart turned toward the opening doors. A dark figure grinned, reddish eyes gleaming like those of a cat. The candles flickered out all at once, and the only evidence that there was anything in the room at all was a cry in the darkness.

--

He woke up sweating. The dreams of heartless were horrifying, though he had them every night. He couldn't remember how it had ended, but it was frightening. Bright sea green eyes searched the room, and that's when he noticed Kairi smiling at him, overjoyed that something went right.

"Riku! You're awake! Thank goodness!"

--

_It's still dark. But it's always dark here. I am the dark; nothing has changed, just shifted. Still… I hear it… something_

_"Now that the princesses can no longer protect the keyhole, it is time for you to fulfill your purpose." This voice beckons me. I'll follow it, though I don't trust it. _

--

"So Sora really did lose his heart… And now I have mine back…" Riku mused, summarizing what they had told him. He thought hard about this predicament. _If Sora is gone then who'll be the keybearer?_

There was a long silence, and then a figure appeared before the silver-haired boy.

"_Sora?"_

The boy walked toward him, and with a flat, strained voice, whispered, "You will."

_"Purpose…" Raspy voice, blank voice, my voice. Purpose? What is my purpose? I can't think. Why? Dark voice, powerful voice, other voice. He laughs. Who is he? Confusing… _

_I abandon thoughts of the voices. It doesn't matter. I am the darkness, and that's my purpose. My only purpose._

AN (this is the original AN tied to this chapter. Irony!)

WTF is going on? In the words of Larxene:

"You want me to tell you? Gee, I don't know. I just HATE spoilers."

Anyway, sorry about the lack of updates. This was mostly written a while ago, but I was stuck for a way of ending this chapter without it getting too long. I'm avoiding chapters longer then about 1000 words for now, because there are too many people out there not willing to read too much of an unfinished fic. There's a fear that it won't update, I think.


	5. Okay, Part 1

Well, folks, I've hit another writer's block. It's not actually for this chapter (or the next, Okay Part 2) but Between Okay Part 2 and another already planned chapter, there is a BFW (Big freaking Wall). On the other hand, I've got ideas for both the Danny Phantom and Lost fandoms, but kingdom hearts is a very hard universe to write, and Okay Part 2 will completely push me into the corner of needing to make it bigger, of having to do something with the same effect.

I suppose this chapter should be called "First attempts at an actual plot" but this one works.

* * *

In the Middle of the Night

Chapter 4: Okay (Part 1)

It was night time again in Traverse Town, but then again, it was always night in the little city. It was mere bits of whatever was left over of a ravaged world, thrown together and mashed into one world. One figure in the Dark had to question this existence of such a world. It was like some child had obliterated all of their toys, and then tried to piece it back with clay, accidentally putting the wrong pieces with the incorrect parts, and creating a monstrous plaything that you could never actually use, because it was just stuck together with anything available. You couldn't play with it, toy with it or mess around with it, because it was fragile. And Fragile things break.

It was this pieced together mish-mash that the thing in the dark came to see, to understand it's existence, and better understand his own. But it left as quickly as he came, off to somewhere he had no say in going to, or avoiding. It didn't try to stay, because it knew it wasn't possible. The Darkness was too strong, and it was stronger in Traverse Town, the place where fragments of life and flavor came, and where pieced together with the darkness it hated.

Similar words could be used to describe the boy in the 1st district, who stood by the gates and slept there as well for the last few months, waiting for his mom and dad to enter. Or what about the woman? The one who grew from a spoiled rich child to a fragment of a girl here, and did nothing but wait for anything to change, like she had for the past 7 years? And these sentiments of bits of light tied together with darkness were especially true for the tenants of a Small house on the corner of the 3rd District.

Leon stood steely and silent, and he seemed to pay no attention to Aerith who was putting her coat on to travel into town to find something stronger then the potions they had run very low on. Whatever she could find was for the boy with the bright, silvery hair and the defeat in his eyes that grew there over the past week, and for the redhead who clung as hard as she could to him, as if whatever this mystery ailment was would destroy her if she didn't hang on tight.

Cid was working on a new gummi ship that he prayed would stand strong against the torrents of darkness this side of the King's Castle, which was where Donald and Goofy were, reporting the horrible, dark news.

Yuffie was on patrol now, taking out whatever masked feelings she had for the situation out on any heartless she encountered. It was something Sora had a tendency to do.

Things were glum here now. It was starting the get darker somehow, in the town of light strung together by a curtain of darkness. These sentiments matched those of the people in the 3rd District. Because a sad truth was now settling-in in their hearts, and so they clung to all they could together in the face of a darkness that brought them here.

"So… how are you?" A question often asked.

They all gave the same answer.

"Okay."

Okay… things were not good. Not at all. Even the shadows overpowered Yuffie, and she knew that though she was not exactly carrying a light heart, she wasn't as bogged down as everyone else. So she had not become weaker (much, at least) and so the darkness had become stronger.

She kept volunteering for this duty for several reasons. Everyone else was too depressed to stand up against the darkness. It would take them, and she couldn't watch that. She also needed something to keep her mind off of her friend now supposedly lost forever.

You see, Yuffie was more optimistic. Mainly, because that's how she was. Her faith wasn't killed by the events she didn't see, for the reason that she didn't see them. She didn't see Sora fade away, and so she could doubt. Somewhere, Sora was out there, and _he _was still fighting. So she had to too. Oh she had no doubt in her mind that Sora hadn't faded. She could still feel him. She still had doubts that she would rather not address, though. Riku, for one. But more, the connection between the Sora and the strength of the heartless.

They had grown immensely powerful, and she swore that this new brand of darkness was unbeatable. At that moment, she was too distracted to notice the dark shadows looming behind her, or the high, raised weapon in it's monstrous fingers.

_Where are you Sora? Where are you right now?_

"…Sora…"

By the time she turned to get a glimpse of the attacker, the best fighting chance to protect the city, had a bloody hole in her lower back just missing her heart, and the clouds began to cover the sky.

* * *

Don't worry, I'll continue with Okay, Part 2 eventually. 

I know this chapter is short, but it's an entire half of Okay, and since I haven't written part 2 yet, I wanted to post an author's note at the end of this. Also, this makes the best dividing point.

Anyway, I will not update unless you people review. I can't bother writing this for no one. I've got bigger and better ideas, but I want to actually complete one story before I go on to that. I don't care what you say in your review, and Constructive criticism is desirable (no flames) but I need to know people are completely reading.

Thanks!

PS: The girl by the tavern and the boy need names. They're import starting right now. Suggestions?


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